Parking meter



April 3, 1951 1.. F. LAWSON E'AL 2,547,272

PARKING METER Filed Aug. 3, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS: E. HTWAQOWSKI,

L1 F LA WSUN.

April 3, 1951 F. LAWSON EFAL PARKING METER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug.3, 1946 INVENTORS: E. H TWAPOWSKI, L. I? LAWSON.

Patented Apr. 3, 1951 PARKING METER Lionel F. Lawson,

Los Angeles, and Eugene H.

Twarowski, Hawthorne, Calif., assignors to Turret Meter Sales Company,Los Angeles, Calif., a corporation of Nevada Application August 3, 1946,Serial No. 688,360

1 Claim.

This invention relates to automobile parking meters such as commonlyused on the streets of our cities at the present time.

It is the general object of our invention to provide a parking meter ofsimple and economical construction and of pleasing appearance.

The parking meters in present day use on city streets, so far as we havebeen able to ascertain, include graduated dials both on the side facingthe roadway of the street and on the surface thereof facing thesidewalk, and they are fitted with a pointer movable along each dial toindicate the period of time for which the meter is set. The setting ofthe meter is accomplished by dropping a coin of a given denominationinto a coin slot on the sidewalk side of the meter. Such commerciallyused meters are furthermore fitted with a timing mechanism and means areadded for indicating on the dials warning signal of the expiration ofthe time for which the meter is set. This indicating m ans generallytakes the form of a red flag which moves at the end of the parkingperiod to cover the face of each dial.

Parking meters are ordinarily mounted on posts equidistantly placedalong the edge of the sidewalks of the city streets and, as stated, withthe dials on both sides thereof. Lines are marked off on the pavement ofthe street, or on the curbs of the sidewalks thereof, designating thelimits of the spaces within which automobiles may be parked. The driver,upon parking his car, alights and steps on to the sidewalk to depositthe required coin and to set the meter before leaving the parking space.It is the duty of the police oliicer patrolling the street, or of someguard appointed for this purpose, periodically to examine the meters inorder to ascertain whether the automobiles parked in front of the metershave remained parked beyond the period of time for which the meter isset. When it is considered that the roadway in front of meters generallyis fairly filled with parked cars more or less covering the spaces infront of the meters, it is readily seen that it is a slow and laboriousproposition for the oficer driving along the street periodically tocheck up on the meters, tending to delay the tramc along the street. Theinspector, on foot, is required to walk from meter to meter in order toobtain a clear view of one of the dials thereof.

In view of the foregoing it is the further object of our invention toprovide a meter in which the over-parking signal is so conspicuouslyplaced that the meter inspector may, whether driving or on foot, bymerely glancing down the row of meters, either from the street side orthe sidewalk side of the meters, be in a position to ascertain whichmeters show that the time limit has been exceeded. He may then walk ordrive directly to the place where the red signal appears without havingto stop in front of each parked car in order to obtain this information.

When such conspicuous signal is provided, it no longer is necessary toprovide dials on both sides of the meter, but merely to retain the dialon the side thereof facing the sidewalk, the other side thereof beingleft entirely blank. The cost of the meter is thereby considerablyreduced and the chances of such simplified meter getting out of ordermaterially reduced. Another advantage of such single dial meter is thatthe driver seeking parking space is no longer able, without driving intothe parking space where no red signal appears, clearly to read the dial,without alighting. in order to ascertain how much time is left on themeter and, if not sufficient for his purposes, to repeat thisperformance at other parking spaces along the street. Much traffic delayresults from such chiseling.

Having these conditions in view, it is another object of the inventionto provide a parking meter having, in addition to the superimposedoverparkin signal, only one dial which is placed on the sidewalk side ofthe meter.

These and other objects of the invention, as well as the manyadvantageous features thereof, will be better understood upon perusal ofthe following detailed description and by referring to the accompanyingdrawings, of which:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of the side of our improved parking meterwhich faces the roadway of a street;

Fig, 2 shows the opposite side of the meter;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged View of the meter of Fig. 2 and with the frontportion of the casing thereof removed in order to disclose the interiormechanism;

Figs. 4 and 5 illustrate the mechanism within the casing of Fig. 2, asviewed from the opposite side thereof;

Fig. 6 is a perspective View showing the parts of the meter mechanism asthey appear before they are assembled;

Fig. 7 is a view of the front portion of Fig. 6, as viewed from theopposite side thereof.

The device of the invention in the form illustrated in the drawingscomprises a substantially ovoid casing l, which is mounted on a post 2,and the latter is secured to the street surface in any suitableconventional manner. In the side of the casing facing the sidewalk iscut a crescent-shaped opening 3, through which may be seen the face of agraduated dial t, and a pointer 5 is mounted on a pivot 6 below thisdial. This pointer is set, in the manner which is hereinafter more fullydescribed, by means of a knob l projecting from the dial side or thecasing.

Various devices are in commercial use for efiecting return movement ofthe pointer to zero position during the period of time for which themeter is set, of which perhaps a simple, spring actuated clock mechanismis generally preferred.

Such clock mechanism may also be employed the present device to effectrotation of the pivot 6, but as this type of mechanism is commonly usedin parking meters, it is not thought necessary to burden the presentdescription with a detailed recital thereof.

Once the pointer is set, it is found that the clock mechanism instantlycommences to return the pointer to zero position. It was above statedthat parking meters of the type herein considered are fitted withvisible means for indicating the expiration of the time for which ameter is setand the particular type of mechanism used in the presentdevice to operate such indicating means will now be described. A discit! is fastened to the pivot t and an l l is mounted to swing on a studE2 of this disc. The upper end of this arm is perforated to receive thepin it of a lever M, which latter in turn is pivctally hung on a studiii of a stationary plate it forming part of the meter framing. The discit reaches the position indicated in Fig. 4 at the time the pointer isset, and it assumes the position indicated in Fig; 5 when the pointerhas returned to zero position. It is noted that, when the parts are inthe position indicated in Fig. l, the arm 5 l maintains the lever i l ina downwardly inclined position against the tension of a spring ll; thata pawl iii, which is hung on a pin it of the plate H5, engages a hook Mlof the lever to lock the latter in this downwardly inc ined position.

The casing l is at the top thereo fitted with a transparent, dome-shapedprojection 22% of a size slidably to receive therein a cylindrical plug2! and the latter is fitted with a pendent stem 22, the lower end ofwhich engages the outer ex tremity M of the lever Hi. This plug may bemade from any suitable mat *ial, and it is painted or otherwise coloredto prevent a vividred appearance, similar to that of the ordinarily usedin such meters.

As stated, the pointer and disc instantly com mence to return iroin theset position of l to zero position, and it is to noted that the arm H atthe same time commences to rise with the disc un at the end of the return movement, it assumes the position indicated in Fig. 5, but it isimportant to note that, because of the shape of the perforation of thearm ii, the upward movement of the latter does not affect the pcsitionof the lever it which remains locked in sition by the pawl 58 until anelement oi the arm reaches the pawl l5 during the final return movementof the disc, s gsthis pawl out of engagement with the lever i The leveris now free to swung by the spring ll into the upper position of Fig. 5and thereby to raise the plug 2i into the dome $28 of the casing. it isimportant to note that element 25 is made justable thereby to insurerelease of the lever it the proper moment.

The advantage of placing the signal in projectedposition a'oo top ofthe-casing should beic'lear-to' anyone." By so posrioning the signaliii? it is possible for the meter inspector from any position along thestreet, or the sidewalk thereof, at a glance to discover the position ofthe meters, and he is then merely required to ascertain whether a car isparked in front of any meter showing the red signal on top thereof. Itis not necessary, as in the case of the ordinary meter fitted with aflag to cover the dial thereof, to an roach each. meter in order todetermine the s tion of the flag, but he has, while driving along thestreet as such inspectors ordinarily do, a full view of all the metersignals without having to stop and alight from the car he is driving.The shape of the dome-shaped cap 2!} is also important for the reasonthat it serves to magnify the appearance of the signal plug and so tendsto render it even more conspicuous.

As above stated, parking meters are usually coin controlled, and thecontrol mechanism of the present device operates in the following man- 1The opposite side of disc iii is shown in Fi 6 and a circular plate 2iis placed adjacent thereto. The latter is fitted to rotate within acircular seat 28 of a game iernber 23. A channel is sunk into the innerface of the plate 21 and it extends diagonally across the entire surfacethereof. The upper end of this channel is of le enough to receive thecoin by means of which the meter is actuated, and the coin is niaintairin position within the upper end of the channel against the shoulderportion 2? eoth of this channel is slightly greater than the tl of thecoin to be deposited.

Elemei iii 55 project from the surface of the plate ii to lodge withinsockets 27!", 21 of the circular plate 2? the parts of Fig. 6

are pushed together to complete the assembly of meter. It is essentialthat these elements register properly with the sockets in order that thedisc ill be rotated clockwise in response to clockwise movement of theplate 211. For convenient rotation of the plate 2?, We show a disc 2Qmounted on face of the plate 2?, as by means of screws it engagingaligned, threaded perforations ol' the The disc 2i? is reto receive astud 3 of an arm 8, and the latter r dly secured to a stub shaft 9 inaxial alignni it with the pivot ii. The knob l is secured to the end ofthis stub shaft.

The parts just described are manually rotated through an arc of 20 tobring the upper end or the recess 2%, within which the coin is l intoalignment with a passage 39 through which the coin free to drop untilarrested by the proiecting lower end of a lever 39, and it is maintainedin position by this lever while the disc completes it: return movementand again is rotated to reset the pointer, at which time a lip 28projecting from the peripheral surface of the engages the upper end ofthe lever 39 to swing this lever on its pivot against the tension of aspring 3 i, thereby to release the coin. The latter thereupon is free todrop into a suitable receptacle at the bottom of the casin Referring toFig. 6 of the drawings, it is noted that a passage 28 is through theplate 28 and thatthe lower end of the lever 39 is bent to pass throughpassage so as to take a position in the path of movement of the coinwhich descends through the recess 35 of the other side of the plate,substantially indicated at 36 In order to prevent setting of the meterwithout depositing a coin, is required to provide means for preventingsubstantial rotation of the pointer. Illustrative of simple checkingmeans which, when it is attempted to set the meter without firstdepositing a coin, will come to a stop against the upper end of the pawl35 and so prevent further rotation. A spring 31 urges the pawl againstthe periphery of the plate.

While it is true that this initial movement sets the clock mechanism ofthe meter to run for a few minutes, the time in this manner allowed isnot found sufficient to be of any benefit to those seeking parkingspace.

It was above stated that the coin, when deposited, comes to a stopagainst the shoulder 27 When the parts are rotated to set the meterwhile the coin is in this position, it is found that the coin pushes thepawl 35 back, against the tension of the spring 31, and so permitscontinued rotation of the plate 21.

As above stated, the upper end of the recess 2'1 is of a size to receivethe coin by means of which the meter is released for setting, and thatthis coin is held in position against the shoulder 21. It is now seenthat if it should be attempted to operate the meter by means of asmaller coin, that such coin will roll through the entire recess anddrop into the space at the bottom of the casing and so be ineifective toactuate the pointer-setting mechanism.

The two most important features of the invention should be clear fromthe foregoing description. By providing a registering dial only on thesidewalk side of the meter, it becomes impossible for a passing motoristto ascertain any unusedtime allowance in the meter without alighting andwalking to the sidewalk By placing the warning signal above the meter,it is possible from a distance to ascertain whether the time allowancehas been exceeded.

We claim:

A parking meter comprising: a casing having a window in one sidethereof, a dial within said casing opposite said window, a diskpivotally mounted within the casing, a pointer on said disk in front ofsaid dial, a transparent dome at the top of said casing, a warningsignal, means normally maintaining said signal in elevated positionwithin said dome, said means including a lever engaging the lower end ofsaid signal, resilient means biasing the lever upward to maintain thesignal elevated and a link engaged at on end to said disk and connectedat its other end to said lever by a lost motion connection wherebyrotation of the disk in one direction to set the pointer causes the linkto depress the lever, thereby to release the signal for movement out ofthe dome into the casing, said lost motion connection allowing limitedrotation of the disk in the opposite direction without causing movementof said lever, latch members mounted in said casing engaging said leverto hold the lever in depressed position, and an abutment carried by saidlink and adapted to contact with said latch means to release the samewhen the disk has rotated through a predetermined angle in said oppositedirection, thereby to allow the lever to move upward and project thewarning signal into the dome.

LIONEL F. LAWSON. EUGENE H. TWAROWSKI.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 629,334 Brewer July 25, 18992,177,778 Martin Oct. 31, 1939 2,198,422 Woodruff Apr. 23, 19402,227,182 Finch et al Dec. 31, 1940 2,328,858 Sweetland Sept. 7, 19432,349,359 MacCordy May 23, 1944

